Wheel rim and tire.



R. WUNNING.

- WHEEL RIM AND TIRE.

APPLICATION man FEB. 12. 1916.

1 ,227,988. Patented May 2.9, 1917.

ATENT oEEio EIcHA n WUNNING, oE EEwYoEK, 1v. Y.

WHEEL RIM AND TIRE;

To all whom/ it may concern:

Be it known that LRrorrAm) .WUNMN a cltlzen of the United States, andresidingat New York, in the. county of New York and State of New York, have invented; certain new and useful Improvements in vVheel Rims and Tires, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to vehicle wheel rim and tire constructions, and the object thereof is to provide a construction of this class which will obviate the necessity of using pneumatic, rubber or similar spring tires and shoes on automobiles and other vehicles tion, of which the accompanying drawing.

forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which: t

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a part of a wheel rim and tire construction made according to my invention; I

Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 ,a side view of the construction shown in Fig. 1 but partially in section;

Fig. i an inside face view of one of a num- V ber of tread or tire plates which I employ;

Fig. 5 an inside view of one of a number of supplemental springloop or bow members which'I employ andon an enlarged scale and two of which are shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

Fig. 6 apartial section on'the line 66 ofFig.3; Fig. 7 a view similar. to Fig. d but showing two tread or tire plates and showing a modification and,

Fig. 8 an outside detail view of a part of the supplemental springloop or bow member shown in Fig. 5 and showing a modification of the means for securing it in position.

In the practice of my invention, provide Spdification of Letters Patent. P t ted- May 29, 191% 7 Application filed. February 12, Serial N, o, "7,976. i

In making thisconnection, the side flanges a of the rim are provided closely adjacent to the annular plate member a .with in-' wardly' and outwardly inclined slots a. The end portions of the spring loop or bow mem bers b are'formed into outwardly directed loopmembers b jhaving inwardly and outwardly directed tongues b which are passed, inwardly and outwardly through the slots 0 and are provided at their end corners with catches or lugs b which normally serve to prevent the withdrawal of the tongue members b and to hold theinner endsof the loop or bowmembers bin connection with the rim. Theslots a in the rim are ofsufiicient dimensions, as shown in Fig. 2, to permit the tongues 6 of the loop or bow members withthe catches or lugs b to pass through said slots, a fter which-the spring.

action of these parts cause the catches or lugs to engage with the flanges a and hold the loop or bow members in position. and this operation is, of course, facilitated and rendered more positive by theloop members b which engagethe side flanges of the rim.

The tread member 0 is composed offseparate blocks 0? which are approximately rectangular in form and these blocks are concave in cross section on their inner sides and ontheir outer sides they are provided with radial ribs 0 and in the construction shown with central knobs or projectionsc which are of the same depth as the radial ribs, and in the central transverse. line preach block and cutting the central transverse ribs are formed apertures c which are conical in form, and in which are placed c o nical plugs cl which bear on the spring loopor bow members b and which are provided withprojections (Z which are preferably of slightly greater depth than the ribs 0 and in which are V-shaped recesses d The tread blocks 0 are each provided at i oneend, in the form ofconstruction shown in Figs. 1 to i inclusive, with a central elongated and inwardly, circumferentially and outwardly curved hook 0", and at the opposite end with an inwardly and backwardly curved hook c and these hooks are provided in their edges with elongated recesses 0 and each tread block is provided adjacent to the hook c with an aperture 0 and each of said tread blocks is also provided in one end with projecting knobs 0 and at the other end with corresponding recesses 0 and when the tread blocks 0 are connected as shown in Figs. 1 and?) the knobs 0 of one block enter the corresponding recesses 0 of the adjacent block.

The loop or bow members 6 are provided centrally of their outer or tread portion with apertures 6 having inwardly and outwardly directed and diverging tongues or prongs Z), and the tread blocks 0 are provided with inwardly directed, lugs or projections 0 which pass through the apertures b and are provided at their inner sides with recesses 0 which receive the tongues or prongs b when the lugs or projections 0 are forced inwardly in the operation of connecting the tread blocks with the loop or bow members Z), and placed in said loop or bow members, in the form of construction shown, are radially arranged spiral springs c the inner ends of which fit around corresponding lugs or projections a formed in the rim a, while the outer ends thereof encircle the lugs or projections 0 on the tread blocks 0 and bear on the inner surfaces of the outer parts of the loop or bow members Z).

The method of connecting the tire or tread blocks 0 with the loop or how members b as herein described and the spiral springs e and the method of their application form no part of the invention described and claimed herein, these parts and the method of their construction and use being similar to corresponding parts shown and described in the applications hereinbefore referred to. In this case, however, I provide means for reinforcing the spring loop or bow members I) and for preventing dirt, stones and other articles or substances from passing in through the spaces between said loop or bow members and interfering with the operation thereof. This means consists of supplemental arc-shaped or how spring devices made of sheet metal and so placed as to overlap the spaces between the loop or bow members I) on each side of the rim and tire construction, and said devices are provided at their inner ends with central spring tongues f at the opposite sides of which are shoulders or projections f and said spring tongues are formed into loop members f -which engage the side flanges a of the rim a, as shown in Fig. 2, while the shoulders or projections f abut against said side flanges,

and the outer ends of said devices are provided with central tongues 7 which pass beneath the abutting ends of the tread blocks 0 as shown in Fig. 2, and are provided with upwardly directed loops 7 which fit in corresponding recesses in the bottom surfaces of said abutting ends of the ,tire blocks, and the corners of the outer ends of the parts 7 are provided with inwardly directed V- shaped members 7" formed integral with the opposite side edges of the tongues and provided at their ends with loops f which engage the adjacent edges of the spring loop or bow members I), as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and the loop or bow members Z) are provided where the parts 7" and f engage the same with inwardly directed projections if to prevent the slipping of the parts f f on said loop or bow members I).

In the construction shown in Fig. 8, the loop or bow members 1) instead of being provided with the inwardly directed projections 72 are provided with recesses b in which the outer side parts of the \l-shaped members f and the parts i fit and operate.

With this construction the parts f serve to reinforce the spring loop or bow members I), to strengthen the same, and also operate to prevent dirt, stones and other foreign substances from entering between said loop or bow members, and said parts f also aid said loop or bow members I) to form a yielding support for the tire and tread member 0.

The tire blocks shown in Fig. 7 are of the same general form'as those shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive but, in the construction shown in Fig. 7 the hook members 0 and 0 are smaller than in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4:, and said tire blocks are provided at one end with laterally directed fingers g inwardly of which are transverse re cesses g and at the opposite end said tire blocks are provided with hooks g and the hooks g at one end of said tire blocks enter the recesses g at the corresponding end of another tire block and engage the corresponding fingers g, as clearly shown.

In this form of construction the tire blocks are also provided in their opposite side edges with recesses g which communicate with the apertures 0 ,and this will permit the insertion of the plugs d laterally into said recesses, the shape of said plugs and the sizes of the apertures 0 and the recesses g? permitting of this operation.

A wheel provided with a rim and tire construction of the class shown and described herein will possess all the necessary elasticity, and the tire or tread portion thereof together with the parts by which it is supported may be disconnected and taken apart for repair or other purposes when necessary, and in separating the separate tire blocks or members 0 a suitable tool or instrument and through the recesses c of the hook members 0 and 0 and used as a lever for the separation of the tire blocks at the ends thereof provided with said hook members, after which the disconnection or separation of said tire blocks at their opposite ends may be easily effected and the tool or instrument above referred to for separating the tire blocks at the ends thereof provided with a hook member 0 and 0 may also be used in the same way for connecting said tire blocks at said ends.

While I have described the construction which I prefer, my invention is not limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, and changes herein and modifications thereof may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wheel rim and tire construction, a rim, transversely arranged spring loop or bow members open at their inner sides and connected with said rim and between which are radial open spaces, a flexible tread member mounted on said spring or bow members and inclosing the same, and curved supplemental fiat spring members detachably mounted on the outer sides of the spring loop or bow members and inclosing said spaces and detachably connected with the rim and with the outer parts of the spring loop or bow members adjacent to the tread member and having tongues which project under the opposite edge portions of the tread member.

2. In a wheel rim and tire construction, a rim, a flexible tread member, spring loop or how members connected with said rim and on which said tread member is mounted and between which are radial open spaces, said parts being. detachably connected, said tread member being composed of separate blocks, the ends of which are provided with cen- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

outer parts of said spring loop or how mem bers.

3. In a wheel rim and tire construction, a rim, a flexible tread member, and spring loop or bow members connected with said rim and on which said tread member is mounted and between which are radial open spaces, said parts being detachably connected and said tread member being composed of separate blocks which are rectangular in form and are provided centrally of one endthereof with transverse apertures, the ends of said blocks being provided with central interlocking devices and the corner portions of said blocks being also provided with supplemental interlocking devices.

4. In a wheel rim and tire construction, a rim, transversely arranged spring loop or how members open at their inner ends and detachably connected with said rim and between wh-ich are radial open spaces, a flexible tread member composed of separate blocks which are rectangular in form and the ends of which are provided with central inter locking hook members whereby they are detachably connected, and supplemental spring loop or bow members detachably connected with said rim, the separate parts of said tread member and the outer parts of said spring loop or bow members and adapted to in'close said spaces.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 11th day of February, 1916.

RICHARD WUNNING] Witnesses G. MULREANY, H. E. THOMPSON.

Washington, D. C. 

